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Win tickets to Alata and The Art of Sound at RNCM

Manchester Jazz Festival is back with free concerts and tickets to give away

Published on July 23rd 2009.

If you need proof that Manchester is fast becoming the arts capital of the north, the popularity of Manchester Jazz Festival should provide it. Back in 1996, it was a day-long showcase of musicians in St Ann's Square. It's now a week-long celebration held across 11 venues, with free gigs, a family day, films, a procession, and a dizzying range of jazz-fused music from African to Brazilian, Flamenco to Electro, and Soul to Folk.

But the organisers are not taking the festival's growth for granted. This year they're spicing it up with a youthful makeover. They say they want to 'shed once and for all the dusty image of jazz' and 'significantly lower the average age of both musicians and audiences.'

With this in mind they'll be putting on a new series of free, mid-afternoon gigs at the Festival Pavilion. Called MJF Introduces, these shows place young, emerging bands centre-stage. Then for even younger jazzers-to-be, there’ll be a family day on Sunday 26 July, with a percussion workshop in St Ann’s Square and free gigs all day in the Bridgewater Hall foyer.

Beyond concerts and gigs, the festival programme will include a mini-season of classic jazz films at the Cornerhouse and a Brazilian procession on Saturday 1 August, culminating in a spectacular performance in Albert Square.

We've got a pair of tickets to give away to one of the highlights of the festival: French electro-jazz act Alata and piano trio The Art of Sound at the Royal Northern College of Music on Tuesday 28 July at 7.30pm. To be in with a chance of winning, fill out the form below. Competition closes Sunday and winners will be notified on Monday.